The Daily Muck

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Cheney’s Secrecy Fight Reaches a Key Point
“An important legal ruling is pending over Vice President Cheney’s refusal to disclose statistics on document classification and declassification activity. The Information Security Oversight Office, which is responsible for the policy and oversight of the government’s security classification system, has asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to direct Cheney’s office to disclose these statistics.” (U.S. News & World Report)

NIE on Iraq Declassified for House members
“To the surprise of the Bush administration, the House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night to allow all 435 House members to see the classified version of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq sent to the White House last week. The report is classified in part because it contains information about sources and methods used in intelligence-gathering.” (Politico)

Potential Coverup In Coast-Guard Contract
“Managers of the U.S. Coast Guard’s $24 billion fleet-overhaul program appeared to cover up a Navy engineering report that highlighted design flaws in a new flagship cutter under scrutiny by government investigators, a senior House Democrat said yesterday.” (The Washington Post)

Prosecutions Concludes Case in Libby Trial
The prosecution in Scooter Libby’s trial yesterday wrapped up it’s case yesterday, concluding its contention that the former White House official lied under oath about his knowledge of Valeria Plame’s identity. Much of the day was spent with Theodore V. Wells, head defense lawyer for Libby, wrangling in cross-examination with prosecution witness Tim Russert. (The New York Times)

Bush Budget Proposal Includes Tax Traps
President Bush is dealing with the looming financial crises for Social Security and Medicare in a controversial way. Critics of his budget proposal claim he’s “using sleight-of-hand measures that tinker with complex funding formulas linked to the inflation rate. These measures, which include changes affecting Medicare, Social Security and income taxes, aren’t advertised as tax increases. But just like hidden tax hikes, they’d raise revenue from millions of unsuspecting taxpayers.” (McClatchy Newspapers)

Dems Probe Role of Contractors
Yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee examined the increasing role of private contractors in many of the government’s operations. For-profit contractors are not only providing service, but are also “playing an increasingly influential role in determining which companies get…contracts and how well they perform.” (LA Times)

‘Bundlers’ Play an Important Fundraising Role
“Instead of going through the slow, expensive process of obtaining contributions one at a time, the technique — known in fundraising parlance as ‘bundling’ — relies on well-connected individuals such as lobbyists and other insiders to canvass blocs of potential donors from businesses, unions and other groups. These canvassers then present the candidate with bundles of checks that add up to significant amounts.” (LA Times)

“Floodgates of Fraud” at Spy Satellite Builder
The National Reconnaissance Office, which uses $7.5 billion of the $44 billion annual intelligence budget to build and maintain the United States’ spy satellites, does not appear to be doing much better, oversight-wise, than the rest of the government. (U.S. News & World Report)

Lobbying Limits for Senators Spouses Impact One Senator’s Spouse
“Ethics legislation designed to prevent senators’ spouses from lobbying the Senate seems to have a limited reach, allowing some husbands and wives to go about their business.” The new lobbying rules permit men or women who were lobbyists at least one year before their spouses took office to continue lobbying, meaning all but one – Lucy Calauttie, wife of Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) – are excepted from the legislation. (AP)

Uncle “Bucky” Bush Cashes In
William H.T. Bush, known to some as “Bucky,” and, more importantly, as the Uncle of President George W. Bush, is among a group of executives from a defense contracting firm which reaped $6 million through an illegal stock option scheme. The two top officials of the St. Louis-based Engineered Support Systems, Inc. – which made huge profits by providing equipment and support during the Iraq war – are accused of manipulating stock option grants. Uncle Bucky has not formally been accused of any wrongdoing. (AP)

Ney to Report by March
“A federal judge has ordered former Ohio Rep. Bob Ney, convicted in a congressional bribery scandal last year, to report to a federal minimum security prison in West Virginia in less than three weeks.” (Copley News)

Horror Story from the Marianas
“A 23-year-old woman sold into sexual slavery in the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth of the United States, told her story of kidnapping, rape and a lucky escape to members of Congress today, as part of an effort to expose lax laws and officials accused by reformers of tolerating rampant human trafficking and sexual exploitation.” (The Blotter)

Bush Had Indicted NJ Lawyer as White House Guest
Court records show that Jonathan Saint-Preux, a New Jersey attorney indicted on charges of internet fraud, attended a White House holiday party thrown by Bush. (Bloomberg News)

Latest Muckraker
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: